


K: Displaced King One Shots

by Sarielgrace



Series: K: Displaced King [2]
Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Some Cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-08-21 22:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16585439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarielgrace/pseuds/Sarielgrace
Summary: One shots related to K: Displaced KingA/N: while the chapters are all over the place they follow the same timeline.





	1. Khoices

August 21, 2012

Aneko stumbled, the blue haired toddler trying her legs. “Maaaamaaaa!” she giggled, attempting to walk to her mother. The woman sat on a small stool, arms slightly outstretched to her daughter. “You can do it,” Mika encouraged, “I know you can, my little cub.”

The red haired woman wore a white button down stolen from her husband’s wardrobe, and comfortable black sweatpants, a long necklace dangling past her chest. Unruly shoulder length hair was sloppily tied with a red ribbon, long bangs gelled back, two loose strands hanging over her eyes. Amber eyes looked down at the small child, fondness in their depths as Aneko struggled to balance her body on two legs.

“Hello, you two. Walking again?” asked Reishi, opening the front door to their home, exhausted from work. “Shh!” ordered Mika, and Aneko eventually made it into her mother’s arms, the woman picking her child up by her armpits.

“You did it!” Mika congratulated the toddler, and Aneko gave a little cheer, laughing at her own accomplishment. Small hands tugged at Mika's necklace, but the woman didn't mind as fingers tangled in the string. “That’s my girl,” said Reishi proudly, and he pecked his daughter on the forehead, kissing his wife on the cheek.

“That’s our girl, you mean,” Mika told him, setting Aneko onto an armchair. “You’re so goddamn cute,” she told the small girl, poking one of her cheeks, while the girl gave a toothy smile. “My cute little cub.”

Mika picked her daughter up again, walking to the kitchen while Reishi went to change into casual clothes. She set Aneko into her highchair, moving to get a banana to mash into a small bowl and placing it on the small table attachment.

“One day,” she started, “You’re going to grow up and become a lioness. I won’t be able to protect you anymore, but I’ll do whatever the hell it takes to make you happy.” She heated the wok, warming the fish she had cooked earlier before the walking experiment.

Aneko paid her mother no mind, more interested in sticking her fingers in the banana and putting it in her mouth. “Who knows,” Mika hummed, “Maybe you’ll become King one day.” The girl then tossed the bowl off the deck, and her mother reconsidered, “I’d give you three years to start.”

“Fish?” asked Reishi as he came to the kitchen, the sound of the bowl hitting the floor ridiculously loud, “Aneko…” He picked up the bowl while Mika got a paper towel to wipe up whatever was left of the banana.

“Such a tiny rebel,” said the man, taking one of the many soft towels on the counter so he could wipe his child’s face. “Just like me,” Mika reminded him, “She’s our little cub.”

Twenty years later…

Loud banging could be heard outside of Reishi’s office, disrupting the silence that usually permeated through the room. “MUNAKATA REISHI!” came a very loud shout from a very angry Munakata Mika banging on the other side of the door. “YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!”

Reishi mentally sighed as the door was kicked in, swinging on its hinges as a very irate lioness swept into the room, slamming the door back into its frame.

“Yes, dear?” he asked when his wife stomped up to his desk. “Don’t you ‘dear’ me!” thundered Mika, ready to strangle her husband, “I have Aneko coming home, and I see her all shiny eyed and weirdly cheerful, and she tells me she’s the next Blue King?! Are you guys out of your Kami loving mind?!” Red aura whipped around the woman, creating a forceful wind. It knocked into some of the bookshelves, singeing the drapes over the window and burning into the carpeting.

Reishi took a very long breath, counting numbers mentally, then exhaled, “I am aware of the situation. The Dresden Slate—.” The man was cut off by Mika shouting again, this time, “Do you think I’m gonna let a HUNK OF ROCK decide what’s best for MY DAUGHTER?!”

The door slammed open as Aneko burst into the room, panting heavily, sweaty from running in the humid summer weather. “Okaa-san, it’s not that bad!” she said, catching her breath. “I want to be King!” She straightened, closing the door behind her, striding to her mother, who turned around.

“You want to be King?” asked Mika slowly, as if computing what had happened, “Aneko…”

“I’m not a child anymore,” said Aneko stubbornly, “If the Dresden Slate makes me a King, then I’ll be one.”

“It’s dangerous, Aneko. I don’t want you to get hurt,” started Mika, but her daughter shook her head. “I know. But I want to make this decision. Please. I don’t care what it takes, I’ll do anything if you allow me this,” Aneko pleaded.

Mika mulled it over, glancing at the reserved expression of her husband, before looking back at Aneko. “…Fine,” she said decisively, catching Aneko off guard. “Really?” she asked, surprised that her mother relented so quickly. She had the impression it would take a lot more begging and pleading for her mother to even consider her being the next Blue King.

“Neko-chan,” sighed Mika, closing her eyes and smiling slightly as she raised a hand, laying it on Aneko’s head. “I said yes. You’ve grown, my dear. I want you happy, Aneko. You need to blaze your own path, now.” The older woman removed her hand, then opened her arms.

“Mom,” said Aneko, and tears rose to her eyes, making her take a tissue from one of her many pockets. She wiped at her eyes, then flung her arms around her mother in a hug. “Thank you.”

“There will be stipulations, won’t there?” asked Reishi smartly, and Mika narrowed her eyes. “Yeah there will be,” she said, and Aneko released the hug, “You’re going to train with your father every day, missy. Kings might be only killed by other Kings, but it doesn’t mean you can just let yourself take damage. I also want Fushimi-kun teach you how to use projectiles in combat too.”

“I said I’d do anything, mom,” Aneko reminded her mother, “I meant every word of it.” A glimmer in her eyes was a deep blue, turning her eyes a bright violet, and she grinned. “I’ll freeze my enemies so cold they’ll burn.”

“Atta girl, Aneko,” Mika smiled, and she looked over to Reishi, “Come over here you asswipe.” The man chuckled as he went over to his wife and child, joining them in a hug before letting go.

“You should probably learn how to fight with your eyes closed,” Mika told them, and Aneko rolled her eyes, “I don’t want the same thing that happened on Ashinaka to pull you back.”

Mika surveyed the slightly destroyed room, and shot a smile at her husband, “Whoops?” She shrugged, uncaring of the damage she caused, and Reishi sighed.

“I’ll get the curtains replaced,” he told her, already taking his PDA out of a pocket to report on the damages. Luckily, this level of destruction was somewhat normal, and his underlings learned not to question it.

“When you settle that, come home, Aneko-chan and I are going to train a little before supper,” Mika smirked, and left the room, her daughter following behind her with a parting, “See you, dad!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it, please comment/kudos, that would help me a lot!


	2. Krowning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a King relinquishes his throne, a new King will arise.  
> 

Aneko stood on top of the glass over the Dresden Slate, her father at her side with his saber in his hands. Up above the ceiling of the Timeless Palace sparked his Sword of Damocles. SCEPTER4 was monitoring Munakata’s Weismann Levels outside, watching the Sword through monitors.

Aneko looked up at her father, meeting his eyes as the Gold Usagi waited for the Blue King to start speaking.

“Are you ready, Aneko-chan?” he asked, and she nodded, a quick glance to the left seeing her mother watch them with muted interest in amber eyes. The Timeless Palace walls surrounded them and the Slate, and Aneko could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

“I, Munakata Reishi, the Fourth Blue King, do abdicate my position and Throne as witnessed by the Dresden Slate. So mote it be,” Aneko’s father decreed, and he could feel the power of the Blue aura leaving, exhaustion setting into his body as his superhuman abilities were lessened significantly.

Outside, the Blue Clan watched as the Blue Sword of Damocles started to shatter in sparkles of blue. The ramifications of Munakata relinquishing his throne could be felt, the power of the blue aura reducing significantly. Fushimi was spellbound by the sight of his Captain’s iconic Sword disintegrating, leaving fading blue sparks behind. He sighed, flipping a knife in his hands. “Time for new management,” he told Awashima, “Let’s hope Aneko-chan measures up to Captain.”

Back inside the Timeless Palace, Munakata waited for his King Status to completely disappear before sighing.

“I, Munakata Aneko, will carry out my duty as a woman of the sword. I will not allow disorder on consecrated land,” Aneko vowed, “I do not allow violence in this world, and I clear the fog that threatens our boundaries. I accept the position as the Fourth and Blue King with witness of the Dresden Slate, and of the former Blue King. If I must, I will freeze my adversaries so cold they’ll burn!”

Blue aura erupted from her body, washing the whole room with blue as Aneko’s eyes closed, feeling the full power of the Blue Sanctum. She could feel her body become stronger, more resilient, with the blue aura’s freezing power in her body. Red eyes glowed blue, Aneko opening her eyes to watch pixels surround her vision and looked up as blue aura escaped pass the ceiling, undoubtedly creating her own Sword of Damocles. The aura started to recede, before cutting off completely. In the sky above, her Sword disappeared with a flash of blue.

Ice was left behind under her shoes, having manifested when she activated her Sanctum. She made sure to step forward carefully to avoid slipping and noted that she would need specially made shoes to avoid disaster when her aura presented itself.

It felt like Aneko was seeing the world with new eyes, like a blind woman who could suddenly see. “Is this what you felt, dad?” she asked suddenly, looking up to her father’s face. “This feeling…it’s like Home. A feeling of belonging. This power is not to be played with lightly.”

“Yes. My duties are now yours, Aneko. This is real, and you must keep yourself from drowning,” said Munakata, “Being a King is nothing like being a clansmen. There will be regrets and there will be triumphs, but it is up to you to decide where to go.” He gestured to Mika, and the woman stepped forward with a long box in her hands.

Reishi carefully took the cover off, revealing a sheathed saber nestled over cloth padding. He lifted it from its confines, striding back to his daughter. She took it delicately from him, the weapon a comfortable weight in her hands.

Aneko unstrapped the saber she had carried for the last three years, exchanging it with the one her father held, attaching it to her sword belt where her old saber had hung. She turned slightly and pulled the saber out of its scabbard, raising it slightly to study the grooves that danced over cold steel, testing its weight in her hand. The finger and thumb guard were fancier than her Clansmen saber, showing that it had been custom made.

The new Blue King activated her Sanctum, and blue spread over the blade. The corners of her mouth lifted into a polite smile, the familiarity of the power settling. She sheathed her saber, the blue glow of aura disappearing.

Aneko bowed to her father, who inclined his head, a small smile forming, and he told her, “If you feel doubts, you can always call me if necessary. You may be the Blue King now, but there is still much to learn.”

“Please teach me, father. I want to meet your expectations,” Aneko replied, and both present and former King as well as Mika left the Timeless Palace, the Gold King too busy to talk to them for now.

As they breathed the outside air, the trio was greeted with the male Munakata’s now former squad. Awashima bowed before addressing the Blue Clansmen with a, “Men, draw your swords!”

Her subordinates called out their names, proclaiming them ready, Fushimi pulling his saber out when it was his turn, “Fushimi, ready!” The Commander pulled out her own saber, calling out, “Awashima, ready!”

The three Munakatas walked between the two lines of swordsmen, Reishi and Aneko stopping at the end of the line. Mika let her husband and daughter speak to the SCEPTER4 clansmen, her eyes connecting with Fushimi’s for a moment, and she looked away.

“Everyone,” addressed Reishi, “For the last twenty two years I have been your Captain and King, and starting today, I have stepped down from my position as the head of SCEPTER 4. I thank you for your service and wish you all luck in future endeavors. As my successor, Munakata Aneko will be the new Captain of SCEPTER4. Please welcome her as your King and aid her in getting settled. That is my last order as your Captain.”

The Blue Clansmen bowed toward the two Munakatas, and a motion from Aneko got their attention. She stepped forward, meeting the other Clansmen’s gazes.

“It has come to my attention that you are all familiar faces to me,” she started, “You have all watched as I grew up and became my own person. I wish to make it abundantly clear that I am not my father. I am not the one who chose your position, nor am I the one who convinced any of you to join SCEPTER 4. If any of you wish to resign or follow after my father, I understand. My creed is not the same as my father’s. Please,” she save a deep bow, holding it for a moment, “Take care of me.”

Aneko straightened, hand moving to her saber’s hilt, and called out, “Munakata. Ready.” She unsheathed her saber and called upon her Sword of Damocles. Blue aura rushed around her and the rest of the Blue Clansmen, giving them strength that had diminished when the elder Munakata renounced his throne.

The air above sparked with blue aura, and what appeared to be a large crystal suspended in the air was formed in a cloud of blue. The crystal shattered, leaving the unadulterated form of the blue Sword of Damocles. What appeared to be circuits lined the whole construct, and blue lines ran up and down the length of the Sword. The stones set in the centered in the hilt started to glow a bright blue, shining in the daylight.

The Clansmen marveled at the new Sword, and while it looked strikingly similar to Reishi’s Sword, it had very notable differences.

There were two stones joining the original three, and they were of different size and color. The larger stone was a deep purple garnet while the other was a purple amethyst. The guard was more shaped like a saber’s guard instead of a rapier, the grip significantly thicker, and the blade leading up to the point was slightly broader.

“I am the new Blue King,” said Aneko, addressing everyone in hearing range, and she sheathed her saber once more, “And I have a lot of work to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it, please comment/kudos, that would help me a lot!


	3. Parental Konsent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aneko dithers with an Acceptance letter, Mika rages.

Aneko’s hands trembled as she looked at the envelope in her hands with nervous energy. She sat in HOMRA’s second floor, taking the train immediately after getting out of school, excitement burning under her skin. She had taken the SCEPTER4 aptitude test right from under her mother’s nose, with a little help from her father.

Her two best friends and confidants Kushina Anna and Higashi Kuma encouraged her to take the step forward to her future, both reassuring her that whatever she chose would be perfectly acceptable, and that the younger girl had a choice on what she wanted to do after school.

Right now, Anna was waiting on her younger sister to open the letter, her eyes closed and patient. The Red King already had a premonition on Aneko’s results, and out of respect, didn’t give any hints. Kuma also waited, exhausted from how Aneko was bouncing around all the way back to Shizune City. Ever since the older girl had found out that her results were ready, she started shaking and rambling about hoping that SCEPTER4 would accept her as a member. 

Aneko ripped the envelope open with a small letter opener, not caring if it tore, and pulled the folded sheet of paper out, squealing a little.

She skimmed the paper after unfolding it, and she shrieked, startling Kuma out of his impromptu meditation and nearly falling over.

“I passed!” Aneko squealed, making Kuma cover his ears at the loud volume, “Oh Kami-sama I passed!”

Anna opened her eyes, smiling at the younger girl with her jubilant mood. “I’m happy for you,” the King told the other girl as Kuma started clapping.

“We should get a cake to celebrate,” Aneko said, barely restraining herself from alerting Uncle Izumo about the commotion.

“The first question is how we’re going to tell your mom,” Kuma said, and the younger girl froze, the joy overshadowed by the crushing anxiety of telling Munakata Mika about the news.

“You’ll be fine,” Anna reassured her younger sister, “The situation will resolve itself.” She looked expectantly at Aneko, awaiting the girl’s response.

“…I’ll tell her at dinner,” Aneko decided, and folded the acceptance letter, putting it back, “Hopefully it goes well.”

**Later that night**

It did not go well.

There was a lot of loud commotion going on in the Munakata household, Mika shouting while Reishi and Anna had relatively calm expressions while they were eating supper. The family sat around the kotatsu, Aneko hoping that the results would blow over quickly. 

“YOU DID WHAT?!” the mother yelled, still coming to terms with the ‘good’ news. “YOU KNOW WHY I DON’T WANT YOU WORKING THERE!!!” Wisps of red aura radiated around the woman, visible in the lit room.

“I know, mom, I really do,” Aneko said weakly, the fiery woman still ranting. The girl lost her appetite, poking at her food.

“That is the last place I would want you working at!” Mika continued, not even listening to her daughter’s weak objections, “It’s bad enough your father has to chase down those Strains, but at least he’s a King!”

“Mom, I want to do this!” Aneko yelled, her own anger rising, “I’m tired of not doing anything!” She gritted her teeth, determination to make her mother listen burning. 

“Aneko, its dangerous for you! I don’t know what…” Mika trailed off, her temper cooling for a moment, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

A somberness permeated the entire room, and Aneko’s face fell. “You would leave no blood, no bone, no ash. That’s what you’d do,” the girl said quietly after a moment of silence, “I can’t be a civilian forever. I don’t want to. It was either SCEPTER4, or HOMRA. I want to protect people because people get hurt when I could’ve stopped it, and I hate feeling helpless.”

The girl took a deep breath, sneaking a glance at her father’s serene face, then addressing her mother again, “I want to have the power to protect. The blue aura is my best bet. I chose this for me. If you really don’t want me working at SCEPTER 4…then fine. I’ll go somewhere else. Who knows, maybe regular law enforcement,” Aneko shrugged, “Either way, I’m going to protect people of this world no matter what it takes.”

“You really want to work at SCEPTER4?” asked Mika, hearing the stubbornness harden in her Aneko's voice. The woman’s aura cooled immediately, dissipating in the room.

“I do. I wouldn’t go out of my way for something I don’t want. It’s my life, mom. I’m not doing it because I want to be special, or because dad’s the Blue King. I don’t want to just work in an office job as some sort of  salaryman, just working my life away in corporate,” Aneko reiterated, “I’m not that kind of person. I want to be out there, to actively at least attempt to keep the peace.”

“I support Aneko-nee-chan, Mika-okaa-san,” Anna spoke up for the first time since the news was brought out in the open, and Reishi gave his support as well.

Mika sighed, feeling outnumbered, and decided, “If you’re really sure…then fine. If the Blue Aura takes to you, you can join SCEPTER4. If not, you can join the Police Academy. Either way, I’m going to teach you how to brawl whether you like it or not.” The woman grinned, locking eyes with her daughter, who looked back with stubbornness.

“Alright then,” Aneko agreed, going back to her food, assured that she was backed by her family. She grinned, feeling like life was looking up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it, please comment/kudos, or subscribe!


	4. Knighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of "Parental Konsent".

Aneko put her hands on her hips, still wearing her regular clothing. She looked over her bed in her new dorm at Tsubaki-mon. Today marked the day she would officially join SCEPTER 4, and she could feel nervousness thrumming under her skin.

The uniform the tailor handed her was laid out over her bed covers, and she pulled her shirt over her head, taking the white dress shirt off her bed. She started to put it on, the small buttons a bit tricky to put through the opposing slot. She tested her range of movement, finding that it was looser than she expected, probably to accommodate for fighting.

That done, she removed her jeans, letting them fall to the side as she went to grab the blue slacks that were neatly folded. Aneko put the slacks on, feeling the smooth and cool material with her hands. The pants fit comfortably, the color matching the blue coat strewn over her bed. She picked up the belt that came with the pants, putting that on too, and then joined a sword belt that would be for her saber to the regular belt.

Black boots were sitting at the foot of her bed, and she put them on too, trying to avoid tightening the laces too tight or it would be impossible to walk in. The boots nearly stopped at her knees, but she still could wiggle her feet with no problem.

The last to go on was the long blue overcoat. It was very pretty, she admitted, with a soft fabric that completed the whole look. She went to her dresser mirror, looking at her reflection. Unsurprisingly, the blue coat nearly merged with the color of her hair, but all the blue made her red eyes more noticeable.

The eighteen year old took a comb to her short blue hair, parting it over her left eye. She smiled at her own reflection, fiddling with the gold buttons adorning the overcoat, buttoning it up so it covered her chest.

Patting at the dresser, she found the small tub of hair gel she bought the day before, undoing the cap in a smooth motion. Scooping some gel with her fingers, she rubbed it in both hands, setting the tub down as she ran her fingers through her bangs, pulling them away from her face. When she was finished, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands and dried them, taking her leave.

* * *

Aneko made her way down the halls, making her way to Tsubaki-mon’s front entrance, where Blue Clansmen stood, leading all the way to her father.

The young adult took a steadying breath, walking forward and passing the Clansmen and to Aunt Se—no, Lieutenant Awashima. Their eyes met before Aneko’s gaze went up to the violet eyes of her father. Or should she call him “Captain”? She could hear the assembled Clansmen moving, and she glanced back, seeing them standing in neat rows of four.

Blood was rushing to her ears, and she distantly heard Awashima say “Captain.” As the woman presented a saber to the Captain, Aneko knelt in front of them, eyes closing for a moment.

Red eyes opened with resolve as her father, the Fourth Blue King unsheathed the saber and knighted her in front of Tsubaki-mon and in front of her future brothers in arms.

“For Heaven and Earth to become serene, the sheltered heartbeat’s strength, the performed sound held in the heart, to certainly protect the order you become the Blue justice’s guardian,” the Captain of SCEPTER 4 sheathed the sword, presenting it to his child. “Take the sword, you who is worthy to be a swordsman, who holds honor and faith, and vow your conduct to the sword.”

“I won’t let you down,” Aneko promised, and Reishi chuckled, lips twitching into a slight smile. “I know you won’t. This ceremony may be a formality, but you are bound to your actions,” he told her, and Aneko took the saber’s sheath, standing up while doing so.

With a gasp, blue aura flared around the two, Aneko’s eyes widening as it felt peculiar, and not as freezing like she had expected to be. Was it always this warm? The sudden rush of power flowed through her, and it felt like she belonged in the blue waves.

“It’s a lot warmer than I thought it would be,” she commented, and she knew that she was smiling with delight.

“The blue aura reacts with everyone differently, Aneko-chan. Your reaction with my Sanctum appears that you are exceedingly compatible with my aura. I expect that you learn from your mother and I in the upcoming months,” Reishi laid his hand on Aneko’s right shoulder.

“Can I hug you?” she asked, and her father’s hand pulled away, allowing her to tightly attach her saber’s sheath to her sword belt before he let her embrace him. Blue Aura flickered, the pixels dancing freely in the air.

Aneko let go a second later, taking a step back. She knew the words to seal the deal. With a salute, she said, “Munakata, ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pulled the initiation partially from the English manga translation of Chapter One in Lost Small World.


	5. Krisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Aneko sets off on her mission, her family is in turmoil as uncertainty and worry strikes the Munakata family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs in Aneko's universe after Chapter 1 of K: Displaced Kings.

** Tsubaki-mon **

November 12, 2037

Munakata Reishi disconnected the call with his daughter, some traces of unease floating though the man’s mind. It was rare for Aneko to feel troubled before a mission, especially after years of experience of SCEPTER 4 and taking the mantle of Blue King.

The man wore a modified SCEPTER 4 uniform, siting as he held a teacup in long, pale fingers. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling tension build behind his eyes. He sat in his office in Tsubaki-mon, taking a break from work to send his daughter off to battle. With a few presses to his PDA, he saved the video call, in case something did happen during the mission.

Reishi sipped at his tea as he awaited any news while he sorted through files related to the ongoing assignment.

Twenty minutes after he resumed his work, his PDA buzzed on his desk, the vibration loud in the quiet room. A thin beam of light shone from the camera lens on the top edge of the device, the caller ID reading “Sato Nori”.

He accepted the call, “Munakata speaking.” Loud explosions blared from the speaker, a frantic voice filtering through.

“Captain’s dad! It’s really bad!” was the hysterical voice of Aneko’s lieutenant slightly muffled by the ruckus. “Captain’s missing!”

“What?!” Reishi demanded sharply. He sat up quickly, ready to run out of his office. “She and Shiraki both vanished in front of my eyes,” Sato reported, his normally reserved demeanor filled with panic, “It looked like Shiraki activated his Strain ability. They can be anywhere!”

Reishi picked up his sword, affixing it to his sword belt before leaving the room in a hurried pace, PDA in hand.

* * *

Four hours later

** Bar HOMRA **

“If something happens, tell mom and Anna-chan I love them too, right?” a feminine voice came from a saved call, a holographic video of a woman with dark blue hair and red eyes talking.

Reishi closed his eyes, memorizing Munakata Aneko’s last phone call. The bright walls of HOMRA contrasted a somber environment, Kushina Anna and Munakata Mika sitting beside him.

His wife was trembling with anger, her amber eyes burning. The woman wore a loose tank top covered by a jean jacket. Her red hair was untied, some of her bangs hanging over her eyes. The burn of aura could be felt, making the whole room feel toasty.

“I can’t sense Aneko’s presence. She’s…closed off to me,” Anna muttered, her marbles rotating and clacking on the map of Tokyo spread out on the pool table. She wore a red dress with a red scarf that was a size too big, white fleece lined red boots matching her dress. The woman also wore dark red stockings inside crimson thigh high socks. She had grown taller as she grew older, wide red eyes in a pale face. While she had more color to her cheeks than when she was a child, she still appeared like a porcelain doll.

“Fuck <jungle>!” shouted Mika, unable to stand the silence any longer. Her cub disappeared! Aneko could be anywhere! The mission the King was sent on was nearly a bust, and Reishi had to notify HOMRA for extra support to help in thwarting <jungle> from succeeding to take over Mihashira Tower.

The red haired woman’s aura started to flare, dark thoughts going through her head. That Shiraki Sugita is going down! She’ll rip him limb from limb and destroy him!

“Mika, Aneko can take care of herself,” Reishi tiredly tried to sooth his furious wife. The battle with <jungle> was exhausting, the absence of Aneko placing a cold fury in the man’s heart. The mission was logged as a success after more than a half of <jungle>’s N and G members were captured. HOMRA’s newer members were a help during the battle that ensued, Fushimi and Yata’s boy rallying the others.

At 49, Reishi could still be considered fit, but it turned out that jumping out of helicopters a handful of times in his twenties and thirties was a terrible idea, and once he stepped down from his throne, his strength and stamina declined. While the excitement of the perpetual goings on of being SCEPTER 4’s Captain, it started to lose its lusters as the years went on.

“She’ll be okay,” Anna told her parents, and her marbles jumped, meeting at the center of the map. “There is a faint connection that I was only able to pick up a minute ago. Wherever Sugita-san took her, it’s in Tokyo. Specifically…” The woman studied the map, “She’s in Tsubaki-mon.”

“Aneko most likely went to people who she thinks can help her,” Reishi hypothesized, tapping on a table with his fingers. Mika’s aura started to calm, the gust of hot air created by her aura visibly halting.

“I’m still going to kill Shiraki,” Mika growled, “Those Greens are going to _pay_.” She stood up, taking her furred jacket with her and putting it on, her hands burying in her pockets for a pack of cigs. She stalked out of the second floor, Reishi sighing as she left.

“Aneko will be okay. She’s strong, and she will come back. Promise,” Anna piped up, knowing that Mika was out to blow off some steam. And probably level some of the lesser gang’s bases scattered around Shizume City while she was at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it, please subscribe, comment or kudos, that would help me a lot!


	6. Reverse King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A "What if" situation where Suoh Aneko is born to Suoh Mikoto and Munakata Rei instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an idea I had while studying for finals.

"Hey, dad!" a woman with blue hair and red eyes greeted an older man with short red hair and amber eyes through her PDA's hologram, "The fight's going to start. Wish us luck!"

"Don't let those Blues show you up, Aneko," Suoh Mikoto told his daughter, nudging someone beside him in the video call. "Wish her luck Izumo."

The hologram shifted to a man with brown hair waving halfheartedly, "Have fun, squirt," he said fondly. "Will do, Uncle," agreed Aneko, looking over to the people surrounding her. Red aura flickered around them, getting ready to make <jungle> _burn_.

Aneko had gathered the younger members of HOMRA, waiting for the Blue King to grace them with his presence. She didn't have a positive opinion of the other King, finding him annoying.

Sato Nori, the Blue King was a brat that was a few years younger than her, reaching King status after her Uncle Saruhiko stepped down from his position. The kid was only 19 when he became the Blue King, and it was obvious he idolized Munakata Rei, which grinded at the 26 year old Red King's gears.

It didn't help that Aneko's brother, Suoh Kenji had a high opinion of Sato. Like any jealous Suoh, it only added kindle to the flame.

Mihashira Tower was cleared of civilians, the operation in full effect. Grudgingly under the Coffee Table Alliance between SCEPTER 4, HOMRA and the White Rice Party, she was forced to show up to stop the Greens and Grey's latest attempt to unleash the full potential of the Dresden Slate.

The war between the Clans were well over four years long, after the Gold King had died of old age, creating an imbalance, both the Gold and Colorless Clans out of commission and the rest fighting to take control of the Dresden Slate.

One of SCEPTER 4's trailers had shown up, the truck door sliding open to reveal Sato Nori in the flesh.

"Oh hey, Blue King. Finally decided to come by, hm?" Aneko called out lazily, smirking when he frowned at her. The Red King stepped forward when the man exited the vehicle, drawing himself to his full height.

"Red King Suoh Aneko," he greeted his opposite curtly, "Still looking like you rolled out of bed?" The man had pale, silvery hair and blue eyes, the blue Captain's coat reaching his knees. His face was very angular, a small frown constantly worn on his face. He wore a more embellished version of the SCEPTER 4 uniform, his hair tied up in a ponytail while his blue eyes were sharp and attentive.

Meanwhile, Aneko wore a cozy red hoodie that Anna had picked out, the zipper pulled up halfway, showing a black t-shirt and a scarf was wrapped around her neck, fitted snuggly around her thin neck. Black jeans led to a pair of steel toed boots, which started to have red aura pool from underneath the woman's feet. Blue hair was messily pulled back, gel obvious from her bang's sheen.

"I  _would_  be sleeping, but that can wait. I'm going to kick as many of those Green's asses as I can," boasted Aneko, before her eyes met the hazel eyes of her Clan's Vanguard, Yata Yuuma, "Come on, let's get the show on the road. Incinerate them!"

"Yeah!" Yuuma called out, "Guys! No blood! No bone! No ash!" The red Clansmen started shouting the call, red aura flaring around them. Aneko let the flame caress her skin, feeling her Sanctum activate. Pulling power from her body, she let the fire grow. Red filled her vision as she heard Sato rally his own Clansmen. She could feel her Sword of Damocles forming, joined by Sato's blue Sword joining it in the air.

"Let's go!" she ordered, and her Clansmen cheered, picking their <jungle> targets, "Catch you later, Sato! I've got some Greens to beat! Their ass is grass!"

"Yeah!" the Reds agreed enthusiastically and split off.

Shiraki Sugita was easily spotted in the cloud of Green Clansmen, the green eyed silver haired man not wearing his <jungle> biker helmet. From the Strains that were surrounding him, his hair was the most noticeable, glinting in the sun.

Aneko ran forward, flicking her hands to release two throwing knifes into her hands from her harness, taking to the streets to beat the Blue King at his own game.

With every step, asphalt burned under the heat of the red aura, Aneko letting the heat from her flames propel her forward. "Fuck you, Blues!" she cackled with her working to beat the Blue King in their race to take down the <jungle> ringleader.

"Not on my watch, Suoh!" he called out, saber at the ready as he gathered his own aura in his blade. Three slices of blue aura was launched into the air, its target said ringleader.

"Fat chance!" Aneko shouted, her own flames blazing their own path, colliding with the blue and exploding, smoke in the air. She caught up to the Strain first, three knives thrown in quick succession, trails of red aura coating them. Two of them hit, cutting into the tracksuit the Green Clansman wore. The knives dug into the concrete, red aura lingering on the blades. She and Shiraki delved into fist fighting, red flames against green electricity.

When Aneko registered Sato's presence beside her, she allowed him to work in tandem with her, striking blow after blow and avoiding the blade of the Blue's saber.

For all their differences and grudges, both Aneko and Sato could fight against a common enemy, and it showed in their trust in each other that in battle, that SCEPTER 4 and HOMRA could work together if they had to.

When she was caught up in figuring out Shiraki's next move, the man smirked, and started to glow. Without thinking, Aneko pushed Sato back when Shiraki lunged, throwing the Blue King out of the way.

Bright silver light filled the Red King's vision, and she shut her eyes tightly to avoid going blind. She could feel herself hitting the concrete, dazed from the light. When she opened her eyes, Shiraki was long gone, Aneko in an alleyway instead of the grounds around Mihashira Tower. It was impossible for the Strain to have teleported her, because his powers didn't revolve around it.

If she remembered correctly, the reason Shiraki was such an asset to <jungle> was that he had the rare ability to travel to another dimension. It was suspected by Yuuma that Shiraki was restricted to universes with the Kings, seeing that the people he dragged from other timestreams were all Strains. It appeared for such a powerful ability, it limited the man to the Tokyo area, and while he disappeared every so often, it took a week or two after he returned with a Strain in tow before he disappeared again.

Aneko picked herself up, noting the change in the weather. It was colder than the fall air was supposed to be, and without her red aura, it would be chilly with her light clothing. She made her way out of the alleyway, seeing decades old technology all over the place.

Actual screens were in place instead of the standard holoscreens that shouted advertisements everywhere, and the cars that drove by were ancient by her standards. While AI controlled vehicles were the norm, some people still liked using manually driven cars, although it was too hectic for everyday traveling. Every so often, the date and temperature would flash on the screens.

The woman nearly stopped in the middle of the road, seeing that it claimed that the date was '5, December 2013'. If she was right, her father would still be the Red King, and it would be better if she went to bar HOMRA. Back in time or no, Suoh Mikoto would not be a man kept waiting.

She knew the way to HOMRA like it was the back of her hand, and she was grateful that the city didn't appear to change too much, mostly like different buildings. It took an hour or two to get to the bar, having been turned around a few times.

When red eyes saw the corner where HOMRA stood, Aneko paused, taking in the newer looking architecture, and advertisements that she hadn't seen since she was a child. Walking in, the differences were apparent very quickly.

The bar was newer, the pock marks of Aneko accidentally banging stools into the wood as a kid were gone. The smell of cigarettes and liquor permeated the room, and it was a comforting scent. She surveyed the room, taking in the furniture placements she hadn't seen in years. Her gaze veered to the back, near the staircase that lead to the second floor.

A young girl with pale skin, red eyes and white hair was coming down the stairs, and Aneko's mouth dropped open. Paying no mind to the man behind the bar's counter, she made a beeline towards the child, stopping in front of her. The King crouched down, bringing herself to the girl's level.

"Anna?" Aneko gaped, and wide red eyes blinked at her, "Oh Kami, you're  _tiny_. Were you really this small as a child?!"

"Excuse me? Who are you?" the familiar voice of Kusinagi Izumo came from behind, the man approaching the woman with a slow gait.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Aneko apologized, straightening to her full height of 5'7", "I just barged in here. I'd like to have an audience with the Red King. It's kind've important. Are they in?"

"Listen, the King's busy. Leave before I kick you out," Kusinagi went to take Anna, who was staring silently at Aneko, by the hand, having them step away from her. It would be getting eerily if Aneko wasn't used to the silence she generally got from Anna.

"You're going to want to clear the King's schedule," Aneko told him, holding out her hand. Instantly, she forced a miniature version of her Sword of Damocles to manifest over her palm with a small burst of aura.

Wordlessly, Kusinagi took a step back, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. "Who  _are_  you?" Aneko let the projection fade, a flicker of aura disappearing into the air. Anna gasped when she saw the Sword, a contemplative expression on her face.

"I'm the Third and Red King, Suoh Aneko, from the year 2037, and I'm the daughter of Munakata Rei and Suoh Mikoto. I would fight in here, but I know exactly how much that bar cost and I'm not willing to incur your wrath," Aneko said coolly, but her temper was starting to flare.

"…Fine," Kusinagi sighed, waving at the staircase, and took Anna by the hand, "Come on Anna." As the man and the young girl went up, Aneko followed, and she could hear voices arguing in a room a few doors down from the landing.

Izumo knocked on a door, then opened it, letting he and Anna in. "What is it, Izumo?" a deep, languid voice came from inside the room, and the woman who followed Anna set her eyes on an exhausted looking man.

It felt like looking into an old photograph, Aneko realized, studying the man that was her father, but wasn't. The feeling was ineffable, seeing someone who she knew, but decades younger than she last saw them. Her eyes widened, shoulders stiffening when Mikoto gave a huff. Her aura flared slightly, and forcing a deep breath let it fade.

"Mikoto, someone's here to see you," Kusinagi said, and Mikoto raised his eyes to look at the woman behind his friend, his eyebrows raising.

"Is that so?" he asked calmly, and the dimension traveler stepped in front of Kusinagi. Aneko steeled herself, attempting to stop her red aura from interacting with the man.

"Yeah. You're the Red King, huh? Honestly, I had no idea what I was expecting," she said, still taken off guard with comparing this Suoh Mikoto to her father. She reached into her jean pockets, her hands searching for her lucky lighter.

It was something her father gave her as a reminder that Aneko should never pick up smoking after Mikoto started having breathing problems in his forties. The lighter was Mikoto's favorite, with his initials carved into the metal. Uncle Tatara had gifted it to his friend when they were still in high school, and after Tatara's death, Mikoto passed it to his daughter.

"And who are you?" Mikoto questioned, unmoving, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was waiting on an answer.

"I'm from the future. Well, actually, an alternate future, I'm guessing," Aneko started, then muttered under her breath, "Considering my name doesn't ring a bell." She sighed, continuing, "I am the current Third and Red King, Suoh Aneko. And yourself?"

"Suoh? I wasn't aware I had more relatives, You sure about that brat?" Mikoto leaned forward, and Aneko bristled. She gripped at her lighter, holding it tight and pulling it out.

"Yeah. I'm you and Munakata Rei's kid, actually. And if I'm correct, you're this world's counterpart to my dad," Aneko flicked the lighter open, then clicked it closed, tossing it at Mikoto. "Dad said he got this from Uncle Tatara when he was in high school. Recognize it?"

The man caught it in one hand, looking it over. He dug into his own pocket to take out an identical lighter, albeit it was slightly newer looking with less dings. Most of the scuffs were when Aneko forget she was holding it and would frequently drop it.

"Checks out," Mikoto said, before tossing it back at the other King, "So why are you here?"

"Those fucking Greens making are trouble. HOMRA, SCEPTER 4 and the Silver Clan's been fighting against <jungle> and the Grey Clan for the last four years. The Golds and the Colorless have been out of commission for years. Believe me when I say its been a very weird decade," sighed Aneko. She put back her lighter, taking out her PDA and activating it, the picture of Shiraki appearing over it.

"Shiraki Sugita's a Strain part of <jungle> that can travel to different dimensions. In the last skirmish, he got the drop on me and the current Blue King, Sato Nori and brought me here. That's the last time I'll ever save a Blue ever again," Aneko walked over to a chair that sat against the wall near Mikoto.

"I've been the Red King for the past five years, after Kushina Anna stepped down when she turned 30. Before her, was you, and it took a…special persuasion from my mother to get you to step down before you killed yourself with dangerously high Weismann Level," her lips quirked into a smirk when she said, 'special persuasion'.

"Before I go into a history lesson, I need to find Shiraki before he can get to <jungle>, basically," Aneko finished.

Mikoto leaned forward, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he said something Aneko agreed with. "You want to smoke out that Green? Fine. Might as well get you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have any intentions of continuing AU of an AU.


	7. Klash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU meets AU: Where Suoh Aneko and Munakata Aneko meet and throw some hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been in the works for the last couple weeks. I love crossing over my own universes.

November 12, 2011

Red stared into red across the roof of a mall, one curious, the other apprehensive. To the right stood the Third and Red King, Suoh Aneko, while to the left stood the Fourth and Blue King, Munakata Aneko.

“I’m a Blue?” questioned the Red King, dressed in her light clothing in the cold November air, while the Blue King looked at her counterpart with a cool aloofness. “Oh? Red King, am I? How interesting.”

Blue and red aura flared around their respective Kings, creating their Swords of Damocles. They studied each other, two pairs of red eyes roaming over each other's bodies and judging their opposite's clothes. 

“You wanna fight?” called out Suoh, waiting for the Blue King’s answer, “I always wanted to know how hard it would be to fight myself. What do you say? It’s midnight already.”

“Sure,” Munakata replied, “I’m no ordinary Blue. What’s your name? I am the Fourth and Blue King, Munakata Aneko.” She prepared herself, laying a hand on her saber’s pommel. “Munakata, ready!” Flashing blue, the saber unlatched itself, the woman brandishing it defensively.

“I’m the Third and Red King Suoh Aneko. No blood. No bone. No ash! Start!” Suoh took the first move, using the heat from her activated aura to propel herself forward. Munakata did the same but used the cold draft her aura created to slide forward, ice created under her feet.

Sparks of blue and red aura illuminated the dark night, the clash of metal against aura protected fists loud in the silent night. Blurs of motion could be seen, the Kings moving faster than the eye could see.

“You’re slow!” Suoh cackled as she managed to disarm Munakata, the Blue King gritting her teeth. The saber clattered to the floor, skidding towards the edge of the roof. She managed to push back against the Red, panting slightly as she created more distance, before twirling.

With flicks of her wrists, she summoned her knives into her hands, and gained enough momentum to throw them at Suoh, metal coated in blue aura and covered with a thin sheet of ice along the handles.

Red aura surrounded Suoh, attempting to make the weapons veer off course, but the additional blue aura powered through. Suoh brandished her arm, forcing the knives aside, which imbedded them blade first into the roof. She condensed her aura in her core before letting it go like a bomb.

A blossom of red aura burned before Suoh burst through it, taking Munakata off guard. The Blue King flipped her long dagger in her hands to counter a fist heading straight for her face, her fingers gripping it at the last second. The force of Suoh’s momentum propelled Munakata back, skidding dangerously close to the edge.

Bending forward, Munakata was able to retrieve her fallen weapon with her left, using her right to grip at her dagger. Blue aura met red, both forces pushing back at each other, unable to overwhelm each other.

“Fall!” snarled Suoh, red glowing in her eyes, and Munakata obliged, letting herself topple over the roof. With no counterbalance, Suoh plummeted too, the Kings righting themselves as they fell freely through the air. Munakata traded her long dagger for her saber, sheathing the dagger.

Both Kings used their aura to slow or cushion their fall, separating in their descent. Munakata slashed in the air in quick succession, two blue lines of aura flying through the air. They narrowly missed Suoh, a wayward edge marring her shirt. With an explosion of red aura, she launched herself at Munakata, moving back to clash fists against metal as they reached black asphalt. Munakata attempted to minimize property damage, using her blue aura to stop the ground beneath her feet from melting under the heat of red aura and creating more ice.

“Fuck!” Suoh cursed and upped the level of red aura she was exuding. Blue aura pixelated in front of their eyes, shielding Munakata from half of the opposing aura’s blast radius. Suoh was consumed in her aura, red eyes glowing, and went back to throwing punches, flames of red burning brightly in the night.

Munakata lunged with her saber, moving the bladed weapon with precision and throwing Suoh backwards, the woman hitting a building forcefully.

“Eat this!” shouted Munakata, for the first time since the battle started, and called for more aura from her Sanctum. A shield of blue aura bubbled in front of her, ice encroaching on the asphalt, and she mimicked how Suoh released her aura.

Blue flames of aura flew at Suoh before a slash of blue aura and a burst of red aura interrupted the attack, creating a cloud of smoke. Both Suoh and Munakata paused, their attention diverted to two groups of people.

It was the HOMRA and SCEPTER 4 of this world, and it looked like Munakata Reishi and Suoh Mikoto were not pleased about being woken up at such a late hour. Their Clansmen weren’t exactly the happiest bunch either, the Reds crossing their arms while the Blues were stoic.

Red eyes from two identical faces glanced at each other before Munakata sighed. “Busted,” she said to her counterpart. “It was getting good too,” Suoh scowled sourly. Munakata Aneko sheathed her saber, holding her hands up, and adopted a resigned expression.

 “You were going to lose, Suoh,” muttered the Blue King under her breath, when the other woman turned. “Bite me Munakata!” the blue haired Suoh retorted, glaring with narrowed red eyes. “Is that your best insult? I always knew you Reds were unoriginal. Got it from mom?” the Blue King sneered back.

“From our father,” Suoh shook her head. “Suoh Mikoto is a great man!”

“Funny, it’s different for me. _My_ father’s Munakata Reishi. Who’s your mother?”

“Munakata Rei. You?”

“Suoh Mika. Well, _this_ is interesting. Parallel worlds?”

 “Probably. Sorry, we’re in the middle of something,” the Red King Suoh Aneko called out to SCEPTER 4 and HOMRA.

“Identify yourselves,” came the measured voice of Munakata Reishi. He didn’t appear to pay much mind to the alternate King’s conversations, but it was clear in his eyes he was attentive to the whole exchange.

“Third and Red King Suoh Aneko of HOMRA,” the Red King introduced herself, and her counterpart said clearly, “Fourth and Blue King Munakata Aneko of SCEPTER 4. Hello. If it helps, she started it.” The Blue King lowered her hands, shrugging instead.

“You agreed!” the other Aneko hissed.

“I never said I wouldn’t throw you under the bus if anyone asked. Foolish, Suoh.” The future Blue King wagged a finger at her opposite, smirking.

“Bah, you’re just like mom. ‘One thing Munakatas always are is diligent,’ or whatever. I don’t think I inherited that. That’s why I’m a Suoh all the way! ‘Hit them until they die’ is my motto! Either that or ‘Burn whoever so hot they don’t exist anymore.’ Whichever comes first,” the Red Aneko prattled on, hands flying as she talked.

“Typical. Anyway, I request to be locked with my accomplice, and I promise I won’t attempt to take her life. I surrender,” the Munakata said, before gazing at her opposite expectantly.

“…Fine, I won’t try to kill her. What a character assassination that would be,” Suoh mused, shrugging. “I didn’t know you knew big words,” was Munakata’s snide comment. “Bite me Blue King. Kami, we’re going to need some distinction between us. Can’t just be calling you Munakata if there’s another Munakata. And using my own name would be weird,” Suoh commented.

“As this moment I name myself Munakata Aoi as long as I am in this world,” the female Blue King, now Aoi, decided.

“Noted. Then I am Suoh Aka. Do you think we can get on with it? I want to sleep,” the female Red King sighed. “I surrender too.” She shrugged when the SCEPTER 4 clansmen stepped forward to take them in when Munakata gave his permission, HOMRA dispersing as it was apparent no further fighting was going to happen.

* * *

Later that night

Aoi gazed at Aka, her mind running quietly in the silence of the cell they shared. “Aka...” she started slowly, and the other King looked up at her from her cross legged position on the floor.

“Yeah? What's up?”

“I want to know what's different in your world,” Aoi continued, “What made you the Red King and I the Blue King.” She fiddled with the buttons of her sleeve, tapping them rhythmically.

“You do know we're probably being watched, right?” Aka raised an eyebrow and ruffled her hair.

"Of course I do. I didn't become Captain of SCEPTER 4 in my world yesterday," Aoi replied sarcastically.

“Right, right, don't get snippy with me,” Aka complained, sighing, “I'm just tired. Fighting you took my energy you know. And before you say anything, I know I made the first move. It's my cross to bear.”

“Hm. Answer my question; why are our decisions different?” Aoi repeated.

“We should start from the beginning. So, we know my mother is your father and vice versa. Suoh Mikoto met Munakata Rei in middle school. They weren't friends, though, they were enemies. The distaste could be called a rivalry. You?” Aka drew a line with her red aura, taking a tiny fraction from her Sanctum.

“Nearly the same. Though, technically my dad considered their relationship as a rivalry, but my mother could care less. You know what the romantics say, opposites attract, although factually that's wrong.” Aoi knelt to join Aka, creating a tic-tac-toe board with her own aura.

“You like having facts, don’t you?” Aka pointed out after a moment, making an x on the board and starting the game, “Everything you say reminds me of mom.”

“My father is my role model. I wanted the power to protect the people of my world,” Aoi made her move, “When I joined SCEPTER 4, mom was _furious_. She nearly destroyed dad’s office when she found out I was going to be the next Blue King.”

“How old were you?” Aka looked over her options, marking a box.

“It was after the Ashinaka Incident in 2031. I was 21 years old when dad stepped down as King. I think the Slate favors me, to be honest. I can do more with my aura than even dad ever could as King,” Aoi stopped, biting at her lip and making a move, “Do you think we can get a puzzle box? Or crosswords? I can’t stop my mind from racing.”

“You got your dad’s smarts, right?” asked Aka, “I wouldn’t say I’m dumb, but sometimes, if I’m not interested in a subject, I won’t do it. I don’t think I’d ever make it to SCEPTER 4 even if I wanted to. Although…”

“Yes?” asked Aoi, distracted by the move Aka made.

“Yata Misaki was able to get an entry position in SCEPTER 4. If he could do that, so could I,” Aka mused, and she won the game, her counterpart scowling.

“Oh? Who was the Blue King before the current one? For another question, who is your current Blue King?” asked Aoi, waving the projection of aura away.

“This kid named Sato Nori. He became King at 19. That was three years ago. Before him was Fushimi Saruhiko. Even though he was King, his position was SCEPTER 4’s commander, and my mother was the Captain,” Aka explained, now bored, waving a hand in a circular motion, “Uncle Yata, in a fit of rage, defected from SCEPTER 4 once Fushimi had no time for his friend. Knowing that HOMRA is SCEPTER 4’s enemy, he joined as our Vanguard. His son, Yata Yuuma is our current Vanguard.”

“Yuuma-kun? He exists for you too? My Yuuma is part of the Interrogation Unit. Though, if we need him to fill in any missing Saber 1 Squad members, he steps in. Absolute monster on the battlefield. Inherited Uncle Fushimi’s love of pointy weapons,” Aoi stood to sit back at the bench, then looked out the window, propped up on her knees. The night air was cool, but with her experience with the cold, it didn’t bother her.

“Cool. Wait, so it means Misaki and Saruhiko got together for you too, right? They’re really made for each other,” Aka grinned, and her eyes sparkled with delight, “Oh man, I can just imagine that monkey’s face!”

“Don’t call Uncle Saruhiko a monkey!” Aoi snapped, glaring at her cellmate, “That’s inconsiderate. Address him by name or not at all.”

“Geeze, rub your fur the wrong way,” the Red King backed off, hands in the air, “I mean nothing of it. That was my old nickname for our beloved uncle.”

“Sato Nori’s my Second,” Aoi changed the topic, “I picked him up when he got out of university. Arrogant but workable.” Sliding down from her window watching position, she laid on the bench, a red eye straying to Aka. “Are you planning on sleeping or not?”

“I can sleep on anything. I slept on top of a cabinet once. I slept in trees. What are beds anyway? Something to lay on to sleep. Sleep has no requirements,” ranted Aka, flapping a hand in the air, “Sato’s a complete nerd. Looks up to mom, and I can’t have that. The only people who can look up to mom is me, Anna, and maybe Uncle Saruhiko and Yuuma. That’s final.”

“Possessive much?” muttered Aoi, closing her eyes.

“I’m a Suoh. We’re the definition of possessive.” Aka unfolded her legs, leaning against a wall, and relaxed, closing her eyes. “It’s late. We can compare notes in the afternoon.”

Aoi hummed, then let herself fall into sleep.

* * *

The sounds of birds woke Aoi up, her eyes opening slowly at the brightening cell. She got up, rubbing at her eyes as a yawn bubbled up in her throat. The woman stretched, spine clicking as it was straightened.

Turning to see the other occupant of the cell, Aka was dozing heavily against the wall, a faint sound of her breathing following the rise and fall of her breathing.

“Aka?” asked Aoi quietly, wondering how deep a sleeper the other King was. The other King made no other noises, and the Blue King spread out her hand, a sliver of blue aura dancing along her fingers.

Tiny snowflakes made of aura started to fall, and she blew a large puff of air into the aura, making them spread, and over Aka’s sleeping body.

The cold aura brushed over the woman’s face, making her twitch. Aoi grinned, a sudden thought coming to mind. Creating more aura snowflakes, she let them drift throughout the room, the already cold environment turning colder.

Aka’s slow breaths turned into puffs of air, and she started shivering before her red aura emerged to cocoon her with warmth. Aoi sighed, her little trick failing due to the other’s opposing aura.

“Wake up,” she nudged the other woman with a foot, moving so her legs were able to poke at Aka. The HOMRA leader didn’t even make a noise, so Aoi nudged a little harder. With still no response, frustration creased between Aoi’s brows, and she reached down and slapped Aka with the force of a brick.

Sleepy red eyes opened, Aka turning her head lazily to see Aoi’s fuming face. “What’s up?” the half awake woman mumbled, and Aoi lost her annoyance, rolling her eyes instead.

“It’s morning. Think Munakata’s going to make a little visit?” Aoi asked, tsking at the foul taste of sleep on her tongue.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Aka says, and she noticed how unnaturally cold the cell is. “It’s a lot colder than I remember in here.” Bringing red aura into her hands, she watched the red spread, and the shape of a small sparrow was formed on her palm.

Aoi blinked as Aka’s projection silently chirped, its beak moving like an actual bird. “Pretty,” the Blue King muttered as Aka allowed it to fly around the room, spreading warmth throughout the room.

“Nobody said that my power is only to destroy,” Aka muttered, tracking the sparrow with her eyes, and watched as it flew out the window.

“Who taught you that?” Aoi asked, and Aka looked away, staring instead at the cell door.

“Totsuka Tatara. Our uncle,” she said simply, hand clenching into a fist.

“You too, huh? He…he taught me how to do that too. Look,” Aoi mimicked how Aka held out her hand, a tiny blue butterfly flittering over her fingers, and another butterfly flew around the first, slight glimmers of aura falling from its wings.

“So…he’s gone for both of us,” Aka muttered, watching as the butterflies danced in the air, a familiar remorseful tint in her red eyes. Said eyes unfocused, remembering the years without her more responsible uncle.

“He’s still a kid in this world,” Aoi mentioned, her cellmate turning her head so fast she felt her own neck hurt. “If his birthday is the same, he’s around his younger twenties, right?” the Red King thought out loud, Aoi grunting in agreement.

Suddenly, the cell door shifted way, the light of the hallway bright in the semidarkness of the cell.

“Morning,” Aka gave a half wave at Munakata, who stood in the doorway.

“Lovely day, isn’t it,” Aoi chirped, her butterflies disappearing with a thought, “Kami, you’re pretty young, aren’t you? Probably jumped out of a few helicopters by now. You know, that fucks up your knees, right? Just a warning.”

Munakata is as stoic as ever, not gracing the older woman with a response, but beckons to them both to follow him. Both Aka and Aoi glanced at each other before following him out of the prison block.

Aka sauntered through the halls, hands in her pockets and slouching with a bored look on her face. Aoi, however, walked stiffly, her back straight and footsteps measured. While the two shared the same face, it was clear that they were two different people.

Even with a bored expression, Aka’s eyes were sharp, a focused glint in red eyes. She studied the halls, similar but different from her childhood. Her doppelganger was lost in her own thoughts, acting like she was paying attention to her surroundings, but Aka could recognize that face on her mother. It was a “It really looks like I’m paying attention but I’m actually not paying attention” that Aka had only seen a handful of times. The familiar route they were taking clued the Red King to where they were going.

The trio stopped at the Captain's office, and Munakata opened the door, having the older Kings go in first. They went in to find a disgruntled Suoh Mikoto within, along with Awashima Seri and Kusanagi Izumo.

“Well this is a party,” Aka quipped before Munakata closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm just sitting on Displaced King and I didn't even properly finish this stray thought and I'm sorry.


	8. Khild's Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Aneko's eighth birthday tomorrow, ice cream is eaten, Saruhiko ruminates on his current life.
> 
> Also, angstfest right after, you've been warned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Canon Character death in second half.

** Tsubaki-mon **

July 24, 2019

Short legs ran through large corridors, a child giggling as she hid behind a cabinet. Bright red eyes peered over the top of said cabinet, blinking as she tried to be quiet.

“…What are you doing?” a deep voice asked, and the small girl whirled around, red eyes innocently wide.

“Hi daddy!” Munakata Aneko chirped, smiling slyly, “Um, me and Azuki-kun are playing hide ‘n’ seek! I’m supposed to be hiding!” She glanced back, biting her lip as she could hear noises of someone running through an adjacent hall.

“Oh, I see,” Munakata Reishi chuckled as he observed his daughter start to fidget, “Try not to disrupt people who are working, alright?” Aneko grinned up at him, mischief sparkling in her eyes as she promised, “Okay daddy, I won’t.” The seven-year-old scurried away from her father when she heard the running come closer.

The girl disappeared into another corridor, and Reishi could see a small light blonde-haired boy come from the other hall. The boy flashed an innocent smile at the Captain as he went down the hall, a soft smile coming to Reishi’s lips as Awashima’s boy went off to find Aneko.

This month was one of the times Aneko was taken to Tsubaki-mon to spend time with her father during the summer. Kusanagi Azuki was Awashima and Kusanagi’s five-year-old son, and was one of Aneko’s typical playmates.

Unbeknownst to Aneko, HOMRA was actually planning on a surprise birthday party for the soon to be eight-year-old, and Reishi was tasked to keep his daughter out of the bar whilst the Red Clan were making party ideas.

Meanwhile, Aneko was hiding in one of the kitchens, sequestering herself inside a mostly empty cabinet. She hummed a lullaby her mom sometimes sang before bed, making herself comfortable in the small space. She thought about other places she could hide, maybe even get a snack while Azuki was looking for her.

The girl poked her head out before getting out of the cabinet and sneaking to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer door, she pulled out a wrapped ice cream sandwich, and went to the counter to find napkins. Aneko sat on a chair, savoring her early dessert when the door opened.

Before she turned to see who came in, a voice already gave away their identity. “Isn’t it early for ice cream, brat?”

“Oh, hey Hiko-oji. Ah, I got bored of waiting for Azuki-kun to find me. We’re playing hide and seek!” Aneko looked up at Yata Saruhiko as she devoured the last of the ice cream, and smiled with some bits of cream smudged around her lips. She wiped the remnants with her napkin before getting up.

“Er, you didn’t see him looking for me, right?” the seven-year-old asked as she discarded the napkin and the sandwich’s wrapper, moving a stepstool that was present in nearly every room with counters in order to reach the sink.

“No, I haven’t seen the kid,” Saruhiko replied, “Just don’t get in anybody’s way.”

“I already promised daddy, Hiko-oji,” Aneko grumbled with a pout, and Saruhiko walked over to start the coffee machine while the girl passed by, ruffling her short hair with a hand.

“Whatever, brat,” he told her with a little sliver of fondness as Aneko left the room, and fixed his glasses. Ever since Yuuma was brought home, he grew fonder of Captain’s brat, because the look on her face when she first saw Yuuma cemented the idea she’d be his son’s first friend.

His life became more structured after marrying Misaki, even after the years of jealousy of how HOMRA had stolen away his only friend, and made the shorter boy King. Gone were the ridiculously long workdays, of coming back to the dorms near midnight. Instead, he and Misaki went back to their ‘secret hideout’ to live, and changing his family name so the Fushimi name died with his bastard of a father took a bit of running around to replace documents while also juggling a child.

As the coffee started pouring, Saruhiko turned it off, adding a small dash of cream and a pack of sugar, while his thoughts went back to Misaki. The ex-Red King had taken to his ‘retirement’ easily in the last three years, and was now helping Kusanagi around bar HOMRA now days. Kami, it was still weird to be around HOMRA more often, after the long gap of Misaki and his fallout.

Even Saruhiko knew about the surprise party, and had already prepared a small gift to give to the birthday girl. It was a set of foam daggers, after he found out about her interest in his knives. Of course, he was well aware of the consequences of Captain or Mika finding out, so he didn’t give any hints.

Whatever. Although <jungle> was unusually quiet recently, he couldn’t feel anything but on edge. There were too many possibilities of whatever the Green King was planning, but they were up to most likely anything but good.

Back with Aneko, she waited in a closet, sitting with her legs crossed on the floor. The good thing was that she didn’t promise Azuki she’d be in only one hiding spot, so it was easy to change places. Her daddy’s workplace also being very big was also a good thing too. Knowing her dad, he’d tell her Aunt and Uncles that she and Azuki were playing hide and seek, so they’d be less concerned about HOMRA’s Brat (not that Reishi knew about the ‘Brat’ part) running around Tsubaki-mon and hiding in bizarre places.

When the door opened, Aneko breathed a sigh a relief when she saw Azuki looking back at her, and couldn’t help but yawn.

“You’re sleeping already?” Azuki complained, groaning. Aneko always did that when they were playing. It didn’t help that he knew she probably changed her place a bunch of times, and made the game even longer.

“Noooooo?” Aneko responded, her denial sounding more like a question the longer she drew it out.

“Whatever,” Azuki sighed, and his cheeks pinked when his stomach rumbled, “I’m kinda hungry too…” He held a hand out and the girl took it, pulling herself up.

“I want a snack too,” the older girl commented, opting not to mention the ice cream sandwich to her friend, and smiled, brushing off any dust that might’ve gotten on her pants. “Let’s go.”

* * *

** Twelve Years Later **

December 7, 2031

Aneko stared up at the ceiling, restlessness keeping the Blue Clansman awake. Tomorrow was going to be Anna’s 30th birthday, and there were plans to have a birthday party for the older Red King. Tatara-oji had been busy thinking up ideas, most of them getting grander as time passed.

She knew that he was planning to watch people light the candle app from <jungle>, who had been on the down low for the past 20 years. Aneko shifted, her blue blanket almost constricting. Ever since she became part of SCEPTER 4, the cold didn’t affect her as much as it used to. Nevertheless, the sheets had tangled between her feet.

Her PDA lit up from beside her head, and she picked it up, texts shining brightly in the dark room. The woman unlocked the phone, and froze when she saw a text from Tatara-oji.

Aneko’s eyes widened, jolting up from her bed. She sent off multiple texts while getting out from her sheets, automatically putting on a blue sweater while rushing to change out of her bed clothes.

She got dressed in record time, also waking up her parents.

“Aneko what’s going on?” Mika stumbled around from her bedroom door while wiping sleep from her eyes as she watched her daughter frantically putting her boots on.

“Mom, I got to go, Tatara’s in trouble!” the younger woman bit out before running into the night.

“Mika? What’s happening?” Reishi showed up, confusion clear on his sleepy face.

“There’s something wrong with Tatara, she said,” Mika tried to explain, shaking her head, “Let me check my phone…”

Aneko was running as fast as she could to Hirasaka tower, panicking while avoiding cars. She tried calling Tatara’s PDA, but she kept getting his voicemail. Precious minutes passed as she eventually reached the tall building, and racing up the stairs to the roof exerted most of her energy.

By time she reached the top, Aneko found Tatara lying on the floor, bleeding profusely.

“Tatara!” she shouted, going to the fallen man and looking to see where he was bleeding from. “Hey! I’m here, I’m here!” Clumsy hands found the bleeding, hands dyed in sticky red as she tried putting pressure on the wound, tears coming to her eyes.

“Hey…Ko-chan,” Tatara spoke, finally, tears coming to his eyes from the pain.

“Tatara!” the young woman sobbed loudly, relieved for a moment that he was at least awake, “Hey, stay with me Oji-san. Don’t…don’t!” She pressed harder, calling her blue aura to the surface. Her hands grew cold, which made the bleeding start to slow, but she already knew that it won’t be enough.

“Sor…ry,” Tatara shivered slightly, both from Aneko’s aura and the steady blood loss.

Footsteps running up the stairs could be heard, twin pairs of rhythmic pounding before Yata and Kusanagi came to view. They took one look at the pool of blood Tatara was laying in, and a sobbing Aneko.

“What a terrible present,” the dying man muttered, his eyes slowly closing.

“Tatara-san!” Yata joined Aneko, also trying to stop the bleeding.

“Don’t wor…” Tatara managed, before his eyes slipped closed.

Kusanagi was on the phone with emergency services, trying to explain the situation, “Yeah, top of Hirasaka, please, he’s dying.”

Aneko screamed, uncontrollably crying as she could feel Tatara’s heart stop, giving his final breath. Her hands were coated in both blue aura and blood, the glow fading as she kept crying.

Minutes passed while the three were all shedding tears as the EMTs got closer to the building.

** Hours later **

December 8, 2030

8:20 AM

Totsuka Tatara was pronounced dead at 12:03 AM, 8 December 2030 from blood loss due to a bullet to the stomach.

Aneko was silent after Tatara’s blood was cleaned from her hands and clothes. She and the rest of HOMRA, new and old members alike were holding a moment of silence for the fallen Clansman. Some of SCEPTER 4’s Sword Squad 2 was also present, offering a semblance of comfort to their friend. Yuuma and Azuki were also in bar HOMRA, both of them called by Aneko when she came to her senses.

Her mother was sitting silently on one of the booths of the bar, her face in her hands. Beside her, Anna was also forlorn, tears starting to dry on her face.

Aneko was cradling Tatara’s antique camera in her hands, thumb running circles on it. They’d yet to look at the footage, opting to just mourn Tatara for the rest of the day. Dark thoughts were running through her head, red eyes haunted as her mind ran around in circles. The shock in the early morning took hours to wear off, after the EMTs pronounced Tatara as deceased on arrival, as they placed his body on a stretcher.

Her father was at Tsubaki-mon, conferring with his Special Forces Squad about the situation. Aneko was barred from the meeting, her still stunned mental state making her mostly unresponsive.

As expected, both clans were shaken with the death of the pacifistic Totsuka Tatara, one of the only people who could calm the rest of HOMRA, who was attacked and killed not in a clan battle, but as a civilian.

The murder had everyone on edge, and it felt like any moment, HOMRA’s patience would burst and turn Shizume City into a battleground to find who killed their senior member.

Whatever game the killer wanted had just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, sorry not sorry.  
> I watched K: Seven Stories recently and Episode 5 kicked this into gear.
> 
> Azuki is named after a type of red bean because Awashima likes red bean paste. Kusanagi was not 100% jazzed about it.
> 
> I'm @ sarielgrace on tumblr if you have any grievances.


	9. Konsulting Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a new Clansman of SCEPTER 4, Aneko thinks about her life. Also, Munakata Mika shares her own idea of Aneko's status of Blue King.

Aneko called her aura into her palm, watching the blue dance over her hand in a blue flame. She sat in the library of Tsubaki-mon, using the freedom of the weekend to think more about her power.

The teen was dressed in her uniform, saber lying across her legs instead of hitched on her sword belt. Ever since she’d joined SCEPTER 4, she played with her aura constantly, testing her limits. While she didn’t join for the power, aura was something she grew up around. Just listening to her mother talk about her flames, or her father when he fought, didn’t compare to the real thing.

Ice tended to materialize out of nowhere if she used her aura, and there was already a cool air around her body. As a child of a Red Clansman and the Blue King, there was no doubt that those facts alone changed her own body’s physiology.

Regular humans weren’t built for the power the Dresden Slate granted. They were able to wield its power, but they were unable to use its full potential.

Azuki and Yuuma both knew it too. They were more comfortable with aura than she was, since both of their parents had aura for a few more years than her parents by time they were conceived. Unsurprisingly, Yuuma aimed to join SCEPTER 4 the moment he got out of middle school. He was currently only in his first year in junior high, but wanted to skip high school so he wasn’t bored out of his mind.

Yuuma was born with red aura, something that hadn’t been seen before. Even the Gold King didn’t know it was even possible to inherit auras. His red aura came with a rebellious attitude, and even Aneko, who inherited her mother’s penchant for chaos couldn’t rival it. He was also very smart, like Hiko-oji, and sometimes it would grind on Aneko’s nerves.

Azuki was already 15, going through his first year of high school. He wasn’t really interested in the workings of SCEPTER 4 or HOMRA, but both Seri-oba and Izumo-oji didn’t really force him to be. They were happy with the idea of Azuki being a salaryman just fine.

All of them had an affinity for aura, and could tell who was around them just by the feel of it. Aneko also started noticing how her aura was bleeding into her emotions too. As a rambunctious teenager, she was a lot rasher in her decisions, and sometimes that would erupt into fighting. After joining SCEPTER 4, she felt more comfortable in her skin, and took better care in decision making.

She was still very good at sneaking away, of course, and picking fights never stopped. Another side effect was a better grip on her temper, and sometimes, there was a feeling like time slowed for her.

Creating a shield of blue aura took some effort, but said shield was one of the defining features of the blue clan. Aneko remembered the expression her father had after one of the new SCEPTER 4 Clansmen from her childhood had been killed after a Strain had taken a potshot at her father. Kusuhara Takeru was his name, a boy who’d given his life and forgot to generate a shield. In fact, after the incident, all new Clansmen were trained in creating a barrier so such an incident never happened again.

Staring at the aura in her hand, she noticed movement in the corner of her eyes. She looked up, saluting, “Captain.”

Munakata Reishi glanced at the aura present in Aneko’s hand, then the discarded book beside her. “I thought you would be here, Ko-chan.” He sat next to his daughter as she tried making the aura into specific shapes. A tiny sparrow was created from the flickering aura, nearly flight before vanishing abruptly. 

“Have you acclimated to the aura? It has been two weeks since you’ve been sworn in,” the Blue King started, as a way for small talk. He hadn’t been able to talk to his daughter due to large amounts of paperwork, mostly pertaining to his daughter’s admission, which resulted in exhaustion and late nights.

“Using the blue aura with precision is harder than it looks. Tata-oji makes it seem so easy,” Aneko shared, “I’ve noticed I don’t get as angry as I used to. It’s…weird, I think. I’m still me, but how I think has changed, somehow. I was talking to Yuu-kun, the other day, and we started arguing over the silliest thing. I was ready to plummet him, but…something held me back.” She stopped manipulating her aura, scratching at her cheek.

“You believe the blue aura has changed your outlook on life?” Reishi asked. He did hear about the near altercation between Aneko and Yuuma, Saruhiko-kun gripping about it and how the two were weirdly threatening each other. Aneko was about to throw a punch at her childhood friend, but suddenly lost interest and surrendered halfheartedly.

The turn of events confused Yuuma, who accepted his friend’s unusual defeat. Considering they would be tussling within a span of five minutes a few weeks ago, the idea of the blue aura changing Aneko’s attitude wouldn’t be unfeasible.

“Maybe, I have no idea,” Aneko shrugged, “But hearing about aura feels is totally different to actually having it. I’ve been getting more serious, lately. Even outside of work. There’s something the aura’s doing to me, but I can’t pinpoint what.” She sighed, her hands gripping the sheathe of her saber.

“With everything changing, I hope…if one day, I was made King, I won’t change into someone unrecognizable. That I won’t be too different.” She smiled, but there was an edge of sadness in it, the grin not reaching her eyes.

“Oh? Are you vying for the position of Blue King, Ko-chan?” Reishi asked, “Should I be worried for my job?” He watched as Aneko’s grin fell, shaking her head.

“Heh, I dunno. You’ve been King as long as I can remember, tousan. I don’t think I could ever balance the duties you have,” Aneko doubted her own ability. Even as a child, she knew that her father had to keep his own emotions in check. If the Blue King of SCEPTER 4 lost his temper, it would probably spell disaster, even more than the Red’s aura.

She couldn’t imagine the duties of being a King falling on her shoulders, and it wasn’t the most comforting idea.

“I believe you would be an amazing King, Ko-chan. You have hidden potential, I can feel it,” Reishi smiled slightly and ruffled his daughter’s hair with one hand, “As your King, I can feel how well you work with your aura. There is no doubt in my mind you were meant for greatness. Why did you think I hid your application from your mother?”

Aneko’s cheeks warmed at her father’s roundabout praise, “I thought…that you wanted me to follow you. That you were proud I was making my own decisions. But that wasn’t why I wanted to join. There are people out there who might be hurt because there are Strains who abuse their power, or are new to their powers and hurt the people around them accidentally. And I can’t just stand there no doing anything. If I could have power, I can be help more than hindrance. I wanted to go through the process like anybody else.”

“Exactly. You wanted to join SCEPTER 4 out of your own merit,” Reishi agreed, “That takes a lot of courage to do. I know your mother wanted you to stay away from the dealings of the Clans, but staying as a civilian wasn’t helping your temperament or ideals at all,” Reishi continued, “You have a spark in you, Aneko-chan. You have hope, compared to old men like I.”

He chuckled, thoughts going back to when he was still young. Still unaware of how deep the blue aura ran in his blood. “When I became King all those years ago, there was a sense of how far my duty will take me. I was fully aware of the dangers pursuing the change in SCEPTER 4’s operation. As for what I observed from the then King of HOMRA, Yata Misaki was somewhat dim, yet loyal to who he trusted, and was five years my junior. I underestimated his grasp on the red aura. I was more worried of him becoming overwhelmed with his power, and was fully prepared to dispose of him if he lost control.”

Aneko and Reishi’s eyes met, a deep red into a dark violet, “You are the culmination of your mother and I. You always have been. I see your mom, and myself in you, Ko-chan. You love fiercely like your mother, and hold fast to your beliefs like I do. By the way, did your grandmother ever tell you about bug catching? That story is one of my favorites.”

“I thought you were _too_ good at catching bugs,” Aneko sighed. The first time she heard of the story, she’d been five collecting caterpillars and her grandmother was a bit too eager to give the full details. She was surprised there wasn’t a diagram to accompany the mental image.

“Did she also tell you about my high school years?”

“Father, you were an evil, evil boy,” Aneko recalled vividly. Whoever thought Munakata Reishi was always prim and proper who also only followed the rules had no idea. “Mom laughed and said you liked being an asshole. Even I wasn’t that bad.”

True, she was more likely to stride into the teacher’s lounge and tell them directly that they weren’t teaching what she wanted to learn and they couldn’t blame her if she slept during class because their lesson plans were so boring. It also didn’t help she was good at picking up the materials she snored at either.

“Ah, yes. I suppose I was, in a sense.” Reishi smiled and for a moment, Aneko could see him radiate with tiny flowers. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the young woman holding tightly to her saber.

“Why don’t we change our clothes and go to the bookstore? I am due for new puzzles,” the Blue King stood up, looking down at his daughter. She sat for another moment before nodding, also getting up.

“Yeah. That sounds fun,” Aneko agreed, “Maybe one of these days we should buy a huge custom-made jigsaw puzzle online and do it together. We should use one of Tata-oji’s pictures for it.”

“That sounds like a fantastic idea, Ko-chan.”

The two left the small library, both in light spirits.

* * *

** 3 years later **

The Blue King of SCEPTER 4. A man who was able to make plan upon plan, the ability to move his forces like chess pieces across the board of the Tokyo Metropolis. Unshakable. Unbreakable. Confident and true to his morals.

Munakata Aneko stared up at the starry sky while sitting outside of her parent’s house. She was crowned nearly a month ago, and was still trying to keep up with training, her new responsibilities, and her own life.

The power of the Blue King was something she never imagined to wield. There was frost in her veins, ice following her with every step when she activated her power. The prospect of new vassals, of people she could pick to be her Clansmen. The possibilities were endless in her eyes.

“A whole ¥ for your thoughts?” The speaker sat down next to Aneko, the woman still looking up at the stars.

“I don’t know how much my thoughts are worth, nowadays,” the new Blue King admitted, dropping her gaze to the grass.

“That sounds like something I’d say,” Munakata Mika sat down next to her daughter, “How are you, Ko-chan?” The woman was in her mid-forties, her red hair vibrant as ever, tied in a low ponytail. She wore a red floral themed yukata, an unlit cigarette held between two of her fingers.

“It’s been nearly a month, but I still feel like I was Crowned yesterday. I don’t know how dad coped. And sometimes, I still wonder why I was chosen. Why not anybody else in the world? Why not any of the other Blue Clansmen, the ones who have been serving dad for decades? I have so many questions.” Aneko paused for a moment, waiting to see what her mother would say.

“The Dresden Slate is something nobody has been able to explain since it was found,” Mika shrugged, “That giant hunk of rock is one of the most powerful things in the world. Your dad never wanted the power of the Slate.” She pinched the cigarette with her other hand, rolling the thin object.

“Reishi was always a leader, I think. Even when we were kids, the rules were his best friend, other than me, of course. He was the oddball in both school and at home too. Nobody else wanted to get too close to him because he’d scare them off being so straightforward. I didn’t even know Izumo, at the time, or Tatara.” The older woman sighed, leaning backwards so she was lying down. She yawned loudly before glancing at Aneko with the corner of her eyes.

“Mom? Can you tell me the story of how Dad found out he was the Blue King?” the younger woman asked, still uncomfortable with her Kingship. While the feeling of finding a piece she was missing was almost euphoric, the thoughts of what would happen after was anxiety inducing.   

“Well, kiddo, Reishi was going to a business trip to the States. I decided to go too, because I knew Izumo-kun and Tatara-kun were capable of taking care of the bar with Yata-kun. In the middle of the flight, there was an engine failure. It blew up,” Mika stopped talking, the memory flashing in her mind’s eye.

“We thought…honestly, I thought we were gonna die. We all did, every single person on that plane. Even your father feared for his life. And then…there was a flash of blue aura, and everything just…stopped. Literally. Things that were knocked loose were floating in the air,” her voice wavered, lost in thought.

“And then I looked out the window, and there it was, a shining blue sword. Just then, your dad _knew_. For so long, he was wandering, walking aimlessly. Up until that point, he assumed he’d work as a salaryman, just going through life…” Mika trailed off, before starting again.

“The next week, Yata-kun and Reishi met for the first time as Kings. Already, Yata didn’t have many interactions with your dad, since he went off to University early after only two years of high school. It was a good thing SCEPTER 4 already sectioned off part of the city when they met in battle. Those two always butted heads together, even after a few years.” Mika sighed again, but this time it was an amused one. “Yata-kun absolutely hated your father. It didn’t help he was married to me either.”

“But if they disagreed so much, wasn’t there noticeable tension between our Clans?” Aneko stared up, tracking the blinking lights of a plane flying overhead. She remembered a good portion of her childhood, but she never recalled any sort of aggression between the former Red and Blue Kings outside of battles.

“That’s because when Reishi was around bar HOMRA, I’d glare at Yata-kun when he’d try to start shit. He might’ve been King, I’m taller and older. Like grabbing a kitten from its scruff. And he knew how much you loved your dad. Yata didn’t want to strain your bonds, I suppose.” Mika sat up and snapped a red flame of aura around the tip of the cigarette, taking a drag.

“You know dad doesn’t like smoking before bed,” the younger woman chided her mother, narrowing her eyes at the lit cigarette, “The smell gets everywhere.” Aneko created a small translucent blue sphere of aura in the air, the cigarette and Mika’s wrist surrounded in the aura with a motion with her hand. The smoke from the cigarette started curling in the ball before the small sparks extinguished themselves.

“Ko-chan, you really are like your dad,” Mika noted in a deadpan tone.

“You’re the one who married him, mom. Hm…do you think I’ll be a good King?”

“Aneko, I doubt there’s anyone else fit for the job other than you and your dad. That’s the truth. I can’t imagine Saru-kun being the Blue King, he’d be terrible at getting along with a new squad. Seri-chan is level headed, but she overestimates her power. Reishi’s people are good at their jobs, but I don’t think they’ll handle being King very well.” Mika crushed the cigarette, Aneko’s small ball of aura popping like a balloon, “And Yuu-kun is good with his abilities but he’s too young, I think. He follows behind others when he’s not angry.”

“I can’t be the King like dad was. I’m not the same person he is. I can’t just look at people like they’re pieces to be moved,” Aneko muttered, and her mother slung an arm around her daughter’s shoulder.

“Ko-chan, I don’t expect you to be exactly like your father. You are your own person too. You have a good head on your shoulders. Not every King is the same. Like Yata-kun and Anna-chan. Those two are Kings of the Reds, but they’re very different people. You need to make your own path. The Slate chose you, after all.” Mika wrapped her other arm around Aneko, the cigarette discarded in favor of hugging her daughter.

“I remember you as a child. Born of fire and ice, what was that poem you liked?” she asked, “I could never recall.”

“The Robert Frost one? Uh… some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I’d know enough of hate, to say for destruction ice is also great and would suffice.”

“You were in love with that poem since you were a kid. But its true, don’t you think? You’re of HOMRA and SCEPTER 4. The best of us,” Mika grinned, ruffling Aneko’s hair and pulling back.

“Mika. Aneko. It’s getting late,” came a voice from behind them, the younger woman to see Anna standing in her socks.

“Yeah. I’ll go to bed soon, Anna, promise,” Mika stood up, brushing off imaginary dirt from her yukata. Anna nodded before trotting off to her own bed.

“Good night, Anna,” Aneko called out, sure her sister heard her. The woman sighed, then got up too, stretching a bit. King or no King, she was sure she wouldn’t change too much.

“I don’t fight because I want to. I don’t raise my sword only because my cause is just. I do it to protect the people I love,” she muttered, then took one last glance at the stars above before walking in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started watching K: Seven Stories and read the manga.  
> There will be some references to K: Days of Blue and K: Countdown.  
> I was also listening to an English cover of "My Dearest" from Guilty Crown on loop.  
> Specifically to  
> "If you begin to doubt yourself,  
> and think there's no one there to break your fall...  
> You feel you have, a Power that  
> WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE YOURS AT ALL!"
> 
> Plz comment and/or kudos I will be over the moon.


End file.
